COST OF HOMELESSNESS BEING PAID ATTENTION

Karen Craven, Tribune Staff WriterCHICAGO TRIBUNE

The South Suburban Public Action to Deliver Shelter Program estimates that it spends more than $3,400 to keep a roof over a family of three for three months--the average stay for those who find themselves homeless.

But a recent study by the Illinois Coalition to End Homelessness determined that a one-time grant of $1,000 in rent assistance could prevent four out of five families on the verge of homelessness from ending up on the streets.

It's that calculation that prompted state Rep. Julie Hamos (D-Evanston) to sponsor a bill to create an emergency fund for rent, utility or legal assistance for families facing a short-term crisis. The bill is awaiting Gov. George Ryan's signature.

"What this bill really tries to do is focus on people who are facing short-term emergencies," said Hamos, a former lobbyist for the homeless and public housing interests.

The bill calls for a $2.5 million in state money to be designated as emergency fund that can be divvied up as grants to municipalities and non-profit homeless organizations, particularly those with prevention programs in place.

In the south suburbs, an effort to keep families in their rented homes and apartments is under way after volunteers for Public Action to Deliver Shelter Program (PADS) noticed a dramatic increase in the number of families using its 19 shelters.

"People always think that we are talking about families who are on the bottom rung of the ladder, but we're not,"said South Suburban PADS director Mike Wasserberg.

So far, 115 families have been able to stay in their homes since Wasserberg started the program.

"In many cases, it's also helping people tap into resources available in the community," said Wasserberg, noting that 200 churches and community organizations volunteer time and money to make the program work.

In Illinois, more than 10,000 families, including 22,000 children, become homeless each year, said Matt McDermott, executive director of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. Families already make up 40 percent of the homeless population and are becoming the fastest growing segment, McDermott said.

The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless has spearheaded the "It Takes a Home to Raise a Child" campaign, a statewide effort of organizations committed to preventing family homelessness.

The emergency assistance bill is the first component of the campaign, which also includes lobbying for the passage of legislation to prevent some mortgage foreclosures, provide long-term rental assistance, and create a capital fund to build affordable housing.

McDermott said Illinois' prevention program is modeled after those already working in Minnesota. In Hennepin County, the state saved $2.5 million in one year by making prevention grants to stem the number of homeless in need of shelter. Statewide, the number of homeless families decreased by more than 90 percent.

One third of families who rent apartments or houses in Illinois are on the verge of becoming homeless because more than one-third of their income is absorbed by rent, according to the Illinois Coalition to End Homelessness' study.

This year, South Suburban PADS provided overnight shelter to 855 people, including 155 children, for a total of 12,000 overnighters, said Wasserberg, an increase of 2,000 from last year.

That demand meant all shelters were operating beyond capacity, a problem that would have been worse if the prevention program had not been in place, Wasserberg said.

Not everyone who has experienced homelessness shares the advocates' optimism about the prevention program.

LuAnn Kost, who lost her home in a costly five-year divorce battle, said $1,000 would fall far short of averting such a crisis.

It's "a nice gesture on behalf of the legislature," but it isn't a solution, said Kost, who lives with a friend.

McDermott agreed, saying it's not intended to be a panacea, just a step in the right direction.